Snow in the Afternoon
by Lilas
Summary: Five year old Naruto sees snow for the first time...


Disclaimer: Me don't won Naruto or anyone else. *nods nods*  
  
Author's notes: I've been trying to write a kid-Naruto fic for the past 2-3 days and failing miserably. But at last I succeeded!! I have the incredible blizzard raging outside my house right now to thank. The wonders of snow! So this is my X-Mas fic to you guys (even though I'm Jewish) ^__^ Enjoy it even though there are no pairings!! It was just something I've wanted to write for ages! *waves waves* Ja~  
  
***  
  
Snow in the Afternoon  
  
Winter had always been cold, no matter where you happened to be. But it had never been as cold as it was this year. Never before had the inhabitants of the Konoha have to wear two coats and several layers of clothes to keep the biting hands of winter at bay. Not everyone in the village minded this cold, though. Children continued running around the dirty paths, playing tag or hide-and-go-seek with their friends. Their routines remained unchanged despite the running noses and constant sneezes.  
  
Naruto sat on his swing, alone, watching the children running around. A sad smile tugged at his lips as he watched them piling on top of each other, laughing without a care in the world while he remained alone. He hated them all. They were all stupid, wasting their time with stupid games and playing with their stupid friends. Who needed friends anyway? He was happy by himself, right? He could entertain himself, right? The swing was a good enough companion. Besides, no one ever came near this swing. Near his swing...  
  
A swishing sound near him alerted the child of another presence, but he didn't move. Maybe it was another kid wanting to tease him and try to beat him up... What did it matter anyway? He stayed silent, not bothering to look up. Whoever it was would eventually talk to him if they wanted to. He wasn't going to start a conversation. It never led anywhere anyway. Minutes passed and still no sound or movement from the person next to him.  
  
Growing sick and tired of waiting, Naruto turned his head to look at the person, blue eyes icing over, readying themselves for the cold glances and disgusted smirks. He stopped before he as able to open his mouth, staring at the dark haired person standing next to him. Who was that? He'd never seen this person before. He was so tall and looked so old. Dark hair in a ponytail, black cloak protecting pale skin from the wind's assault, and red eyes staring straight ahead as if they saw everything around them without needing to look at the child sitting on the swing. He didn't seem to want to hurt him...  
  
"Naruto." A greeting.  
  
"You... know me?" Blue eyes blinked in surprise, five-year old hands tightening around the cord suspending the swing on the tree.  
  
"I've heard of you. I live over there." The teenager pointed to a tall post far away, almost indistinguishable.  
  
"Wow... That's far." Naruto swung his feet back and forth, eyes never leaving the post far away. Where was that? What was the man doing so far away from his home? Why was the man even talking to him?  
  
"Naruto... Do you know why winter is so cold?"  
  
Naruto stared at the man, wondering why he was asking him such a weird question. Slowly he smiled and bobbed his head up and down proudly, happy to share his theory as to why winter was so cold. "It's because of the monster that lives in that cave over there," he pointed to the mountain in which the faces of the four Hokage were carved. "When the days become shorter, he gets mad because he likes the sun, so he blows cold wind from his mouth and makes everything cold."  
  
The dark haired teen looked down at the boy, one delicate eyebrow raised, red eyes staring in disbelief. "Who told you that story?"  
  
The huge smile dimmed a bit and Naruto once again turned his eyes to the ground, hands loosening around the rope. "No one told me. I made it up."  
  
"It's an interesting theory... Naruto-kun."  
  
Another swishing sound caused Naruto to look up, cheeks freezing from the cold wind blowing around him. He was gone... Just like everyone else. He briefly wondered what his name was before shaking his head. It didn't matter. He'd probably never see him again.  
  
The sounds of children playing echoed all around him, but he didn't care. Let them all have fun. He was having fun too. He was-- A cold touch on the tip of his nose made him start and cross his eyes to try and see what had fallen on him. A white substance was slowly melting, wetting his nose and spreading a cold feeling throughout his body. What the heck?  
  
He looked up to watch the other kids running around in circles, arms outstretched towards the sky and crying out in joy. Snow. It was snowing... He'd seen the pictures in books he'd found lying around in his house. Books the funny man with white long hair had probably sneaked in without him noticing it. He'd always wanted to see what snow looked like. He'd read it was cold and soft and perfect to have fights with and build snowmen with friends. Maybe he could build a snowman by himself... He didn't need friends, right? Right! Not him. He was fine all by himself... Just fine... Perfect.  
  
Putting his small feet on the ground, he pushed off once really hard and moved his legs back and forth, swinging higher and higher, staring at the sky and at the falling snow, listening to the screeches of the other kids. He was going to reach the sky one day and see where the snow came from. Was it another monster that made it happen? Just like the cold monster? Were the two monsters friends? The weird man had told him it was a cool idea he had, so maybe he was right?  
  
He stared at the darkening sky, always listening to the other children's voices. Back and forth, back and forth. His legs swung to the rhythm of the surrounding laughter until he was lost in a world of his own, thinking about the blond hair and blue eyes he often saw in his dreams. The safety of warm arms and the soothing tone of a person singing. Dreams so nice they made him want to stay lost in them forever. A sudden push from behind him made him jump in his seat and grip the rope tighter to avoid the cruel fate of falling flat on his face.  
  
Fear etched in his eyes, he tried to turn around to see who had tried to push him off the swing when he caught sight of a red hat and white robes. Hokage-sama. He straightened himself and turned his gaze to the field in front of him, relaxing, only to find it devoid of anybody and covered in soft powdery snow. Where had everyone gone to? When had everyone left? The sudden sight made him aware of how cold he really was and of the shivers slowly going through his body.  
  
"What are you doing out here all by yourself, Naruto?" The old man's voice was raspy and playful as he gripped both ropes and stopped the swing.  
  
"Thinking."  
  
A short laugh sounded and Naruto looked back, glaring at the old man. "Thinking at such a young age? What about?"  
  
"About how I'm going to kick your ass when I grow up!"  
  
The old man laughed some more and walked around the swing, standing in front of the child, hands on his hips as the pipe dangling from his mouth left a trail of tobacco smoke in the air. He could see the anger in the blue eyes as they glared at him; eyes that used to be so soft and playful. He turned around and started walking away, one hand gripping his pipe while the other tucked itself back inside his coat. He waited, listening for the rustle of clothes walking away that would signal Naruto was going home, but heard none.  
  
"Someone is waiting for you at your house, Naruto-kun," he said, back still turned to the child. "It is impolite to make people wait."  
  
Someone was waiting for him? At his house? Was it a joke? Was the old man joking with him? No... He never joked. He never lied. There had to be someone there! Without a second thought he jumped down from the swing and ran as fast as his legs could carry him back to his house. Taking the steps two at a time, he stopped at the top of the stairs, panting, small hands clenching and unclenching, staring at the figure slumped in front of his door.  
  
"Iruka?" His voice was soft and hoarse, quickly followed by a cough.  
  
The boy slumped down perked up and flashed the five-year old a smile, eyes closing. Pushing himself up with both hands, he grabbed the plastic bag on the floor and held it up for the kid to see. A soft gasp and a second later the boy was gripping Iruka's leg in the biggest hug he could manage. Iruka started and instinctively placed a hand on Naruto's back, his smile dimming just a tad. How could he stay mad at this boy who had no idea what the being inside of him had done? Maybe Hokage-sama was right in forcing him to take care of the child... He didn't feel as hateful as he used to.  
  
"Are you up for some ramen, Naruto?"  
  
"Hai! Which kind did you bring today?"  
  
"Well, I thought I'd make you try pork today."  
  
Naruto made a face and let go of Iruka's leg. Arms crossing over his chest, he pouted. Pork? What was Iruka thinking? Iruka looked at the child seating in front of him, a small sweatdrop forming on his head. He should have known Naruto wouldn't be happy that today's menu wasn't shrimp...  
  
"Gomen, Naruto. They were out of shrimp ramen at the store. Why don't you try this one anyway? You might like it," the man cajoled.  
  
"What if I don't?" Typical five year old response, really.  
  
"Then I'll buy you a week's worth supply of shrimp ramen." Typical response to any problems involving Naruto and ramen.  
  
Blue eyes stared in wonder at the man in front of them before the boy threw himself onto him again, toppling the man to the ground. Tiny arms wrapped around Iruka's neck and held on as tightly as possible. Iruka looked down at the bundle of clothes holding him tightly, a small smile covering his lips. Cute brat... He'd heard someone say that about Naruto once, and he now thought about how true those words rang.  
  
"Come on Naruto. Let's go before you freeze to death out here."  
  
Nodding once, the boy let go of Iruka and scrambled to find the keys to his door, throwing it open and letting it bang against the wall with a loud thud. Iruka winced at the noise, pitying the wall, before getting up and following the boy inside. He wasn't in the bit surprised at finding the entire place a pig's den. How the Hokage allowed a five year-old to stay alone was something he couldn't comprehend.  
  
Sighing, Iruka decided to teach the kid how to take care of his house. Slowly, step by step, he would teach the blond boy how to take care of himself; how to be strong. It was the least he could do. After all, he did owe the Fourth Hokage a debt, as small as it was. He was alive. It was enough of a reason to help Naruto grow into a strong man his father would be proud of.  
  
And there's no day like the present to get started. 


End file.
